"It is almost a pity that you did not commandeer two ponies and saddles
while you were about it," Chris laughed, as they set off again feeling
all the better for their meal. "We only want that to complete our
outfit."

"You should have mentioned it before I started, Chris. There is no
saying what I might not have done; and really, without joking, a pony is
one of the easiest things going to steal when there are Boers about.
They always leave them standing just where they dismount, and will be in
a store or a drinking-place for an hour at a time without attending to
them."

"It is not the difficulty, but the risk; for even if a thief gets off
with a pony, he is almost sure to be hunted down. It is regarded as a
sort of offence against the community, and a man, whether a native or a
mean white, would get a very short shrift if he were caught on a stolen
horse."

"Yes, I know. Still, for all that, if I could come upon a saddled pony,
and there was a chance of getting off with it, I should take it without
hesitation as a fair spoil of war."

"Yes, so should I, for the betting would be very strongly against our
running across its owner; and in the next place, it would greatly
increase our chance of getting safely through. It is the fact of our
being on foot that will attract attention. We could walk about a camp
full of Boers without anyone noticing it, but to walk into the camp
would seem so extraordinary, that we should be questioned at once. A
Boer travelling across the country on foot would be a sight hitherto
unknown."

"There I agree with you; and I do think that when we get to Helpmakaar,
which we can do to-morrow evening if we make a good long march to-night,
we had better see if we can't appropriate a couple of ponies. We can
walk boldly into the place, and no one would notice we were new-comers.
There are sure to be ponies standing about, and it will be hard if we
cannot bag a couple. Then we can ride by the road south from there to
Greytown, and after crossing the Tugela, strike off by the place where
we had the fight near Umbala mountain, which would be a good landmark
for us, and from there follow our old line back to Estcourt. It would be
rather shorter to go through Weenen, but there may be Boers about, and
the few miles we should save would not be worth the risk."

They made a long journey that night, slept within seven or eight miles
of Helpmakaar, and started late in the afternoon. When near the town
they left the main road, passed through some fields, and came into the
place that way, as had they entered by the road they were likely to be
questioned. Once in the little town, they walked about at their ease. It
did not seem that there were any great number of Boers there, but the
town was well within the district held by them, and such loyalists as
remained were sure to be keeping as much as possible without their
houses. In front of the principal inn were nearly a score of Boer
ponies, but the lads considered it would be altogether too risky to
attempt to take a couple of these, as their owners might issue out while
they were doing it; however, they stood watching. For some time there
was a sound of singing and merriment within, and for a quarter of an
hour no one came out.

"If we had taken a couple of ponies at first," Sankey said savagely, "we
might have been two miles away by this time."

"Yes; I don't know that it is too late now. Wait till they strike up
another song with a chorus, none of them are likely to leave the room
while that is going on, and it will drown the sound of hoofs."

There were few people about in the streets; and even had anyone passed
as they were mounting, he could not tell that they were not the
legitimate owners.

"If anyone should come out," Chris said, "don't try to ride away. We
should have the whole lot after us in a minute, and it is not likely we
should have got hold of the fastest ponies. Besides, they would shoot us
before we got far. So if anyone does come out and raises an alarm, jump
off at once and run round the nearest corner, and then into the first
garden we come to. We should be in one before they could come out, mount
their ponies, and give chase. Once among the gardens we should be safe.
If the man who comes out does not shout we would pay no attention to
him, but ride away quietly. If the ponies don't happen to belong to him
or some friend of his, he would not be likely to interfere, for he would
suppose that we were two of the party who had left the place without his
noticing them. But if he gives a shout, jump off at once, and rush round
the corner of the nearest house."

They waited for a minute or two, and then two Boers came out, mounted a
couple of the ponies, and rode quietly down the street. At that moment
another song was struck up. "That is lucky. If anyone comes out and sees
us mounting he will take us for the two men who have just ridden off."
Then they strolled leisurely across the street, took the reins of two of
the ponies, sprang into the saddles, and started at a walk, which,
twenty yards farther, was quickened into a trot. The two men had
fortunately gone in the other direction. Once fairly beyond the town,
they quickened their pace. "Now we are Boers all over," Chris said
exultantly; "but there is one thing, Sankey, we must be careful not to
go near any solitary farmhouse. There must still be some loyal men left
in these parts, and if we fell in with a small party of them the
temptation to pay off what they have suffered might be irresistible."

"Yes, Chris; but they certainly would not shoot unless certain of
bringing us both down, for if one escaped, he would return with a party
strong enough to wipe them out altogether. However, we need not trouble
about that for the present, though no doubt it will be well to be
careful when we are once across the Tugela."

"Well, we shall be there long before morning; it is not more than seven-
or eight-and-twenty miles."

They rode fast, for it was possible that when the loss of the ponies was
discovered someone who might have noticed them go down the street might
set the Boers on the track, and in that case they would certainly be
hotly pursued. The ponies, however, turned out to be good animals, and
as the lads were at least a couple of stones lighter than the average
Boer, they could not be overtaken unless some of the ponies happened to
be a good deal better than these.

After riding at full speed for eight or nine miles, they broke into a
walk, stopping every few minutes to listen. They knew that they would be
able to hear the sound of pursuit at least a mile away, and as their
ponies would start fresh again, they were able to take things quietly.
So sometimes cantering sometimes walking, they reached the river at
about one o'clock in the morning. On the opposite bank stood the little
village of Tugela Ferry. Here there was a drift, and there was no
occasion to use the ferry-boat except when the river was swollen by
rain. It now reached only just up to the ponies' bellies; they therefore
crossed without the least difficulty, and after passing through the
village, left the road, and struck off across the country to the south-
west. When four or five miles away they halted at a donga, and leading
the ponies down, turned them loose to feed, ate their supper, and were
soon asleep.

It was no longer necessary to travel by night, and at eight o'clock they
started again. They kept a sharp look-out from every eminence, and once
or twice saw parties of mounted men in the distance and made detours to
avoid them. So far as they were aware, however, they were not observed.
The distance to be ridden from their last halting-place was about
thirty-five miles, and at one o'clock they were within five miles of
Estcourt. On an eminence about a mile in front of them they saw a
solitary horseman.

"That is evidently one of our scouts," Chris said. "I dare say there is
a party of them somewhere behind him. If I am not mistaken I can see two
or three heads against the sky-line--they are either heads or stones. We
should know more about it if the Boers hadn't bagged our glasses when
they took us."

Two or three minutes later Sankey said, "Those little black spots have
gone, so they were heads. I dare say they are wondering who we are, and
put us down either as Boers or as loyal farmers, though there cannot be
many of them left in this district."

Presently from behind the foot of the hill six horsemen dashed out. The
lads had already taken the precaution of taking off their hats and
putting on forage-caps again.

"It is always better to avoid accidents," Chris said. "It would have
been awkward if they had begun to shoot before waiting to ask questions,
especially as we could not shoot back. They are Colonials; one can see
that by their looped-up hats, which are a good deal more becoming than
those hideous khaki helmets of our men."

The horsemen had unslung their guns, but seeing that the strangers had
their rifles still slung behind them with apparently no intention of
firing, they dropped into a canter until they met the lads.

"We will surrender if you want us to," Chris said; "though why we should
do so I don't know. We belong to the Maritzburg Scouts, and were taken
prisoners, being both wounded, eight or nine days ago; and, as you see,
we have got away."

"I dare say it is all right," the officer said; "but at any rate we will
ride with you to Estcourt."

"We shall be glad of your company, though I don't suppose we shall be
identified until we get to Chieveley. Will you please tell us what has
taken place since we left?"

"That, I think had better be deferred," the officer said dryly. "We
don't tell our news to strangers."

"It is evident that you are not Dutch," the officer went on; but there
is more than one renegade Englishman fighting among the Boers, and
except for your caps you certainly look as if you belonged to the other
side rather than to ours."

"Yes, they are Boer coats, Boer ponies, and Boer guns," Chris said. "We
have taken the liberty of borrowing them as they borrowed our guns and
field-glasses. Whether they borrowed our horses we shall not know till
we get back. You see," he went on, opening his coat, "we still have our
uniforms underneath. Who is at Estcourt now? Ah, by the way, we are sure
to find some officers in the hospital who know us."

The officer by this time began to feel that the account Chris had given
him of himself was correct, and when they arrived at Estcourt it was
rather as a matter of form than anything else that he accompanied him to
the hospital. Upon enquiry Chris found that among the wounded there was
one of the naval officers he had travelled with from Durban. Upon the
surgeon in charge being told that he wished to see him, he was allowed
to enter with the officer. The wounded man at once recognized him.

"Ah, King," he said, "I am glad to see you again. Have you brought me
down a message from Captain Jones or any of our fellows?"

"No; I am very sorry to find you here, Devereux, but I am glad to see
you are getting better. I have really come in order that you might
satisfy this gentleman, who has taken me prisoner, that I am King of the
Maritzburg Scouts."

"There is no doubt about that. Why, where have you been to be taken
prisoner?"

"Oh, it was a fair capture. I was with one of my section caught while
out scouting, and have got away in Boer attire, and as we were riding in
we met this officer's party some five miles out, and not unnaturally
they took us for the real thing instead of masqueraders."

"I can assure you that King is all right," the sailor said. "He came up
in the train with three of his party from Durban."

"Thank you," the officer said with a smile. "I am perfectly satisfied,
and was nearly so before I came in here. Well, I wish you good-day, sir,
and hope we may meet again," and shaking hands with Chris he left the
tent.

"Well, it does not matter much. We have been sleeping in the open for
the past five nights, and once more will make no difference. We are just
back in time, Sankey," he said when he joined his friend outside.
"Devereux tells me that there is a big movement going on, and that a
severe fight is expected in a day or two. He hears that the baggage
train has been moving to Springfield, so that it will be somewhere over
in that direction; and I suppose we are going to move round to Acton
Homes and force our way into Ladysmith through Dewdrop. You know, they
say that it is comparatively flat that way."

They got rid of their long coats and fastened them to their saddles;
then led their ponies to the station, and leaving them outside entered.
An enterprising store-keeper had opened a refreshment stall for the
benefit of the troops passing through, or officers coming down from the
front to look after stores or to visit friends in hospital. Chris had
explained their position to Devereux, and the latter had said: "Then I
suppose they have eased you of all your money?"

"There is my purse with my watch in that little pocket over my bed," he
said. "You must let me lend you a sovereign till I see you again." And
Chris had thankfully taken the money.

They now had what to them was a gorgeous feast; some soup, cold ham, and
a bottle of wine. They gave what little remains they had of bread to the
ponies, and then led them a quarter of a mile out of the town and camped
out with them there, the Boer coats coming in very useful. The next
morning they started at daybreak, and arrived at their camp at Chieveley
just as their friends were sitting down to breakfast. They were received
with a shout of welcome, and a torrent of questions was poured upon
them.

"I will leave Sankey to tell you all about it," Chris said. "I must go
and report myself to Brookfield and get our names struck off the list of
missing. I shall not be five minutes away."

The captain received Chris as heartily, though not so noisily, as his
comrades had done.

"We have been very anxious about you," he said, after the first
greeting. "When we came back to the point where you left us, and did not
find you there, we thought there might be some mistake, and that you had
ridden on. We picked up all the others, but were not uneasy until we got
into camp, and found that you did not return. Then two of your friends
took fresh horses and rode out again, taking two of your blacks with
them. The blacks found the place where you had left us, and following
your tracks down came on your horses. Then they went on till they saw
the river in front of them. The blacks traced your footsteps along near
the bank till they came to a spot where there was evidently a drift, as
a road was cut down to the water on both sides. They then crawled along
till they could look down into the road. They were some time away, and
returned with the news that they had seen below them on the road a patch
of blood and the mark of a body in the mud, another step they said had
gone down to the water, and had not come back. Crawling along by the
edge of the bank they found some empty cartridges. They said whoever had
been up there had crawled once or twice to the edge above the sunken
road where the other was lying, and that he had then gone back from the
river and afterwards down into the road. A little farther there seemed
to have been a fall, and then two men with big feet came to the spot,
and, they asserted, carried the one who had fallen there down to the
other; but they could not see what had happened then, for it was evident
that the Boers were in force on the other side of the river, and they
dared not go down farther to examine the tracks. Enough had been seen,
however, to show that you must both have been wounded. It was pretty
certain that you had not been killed, for if so the Boers would not have
troubled to carry your bodies across the drift. Now, Chris, let us hear
your story."

"If you don't mind, Captain Brookfield," Chris said with a smile, "I
will put off telling it for another half-hour. The fact is, breakfast is
ready, and I have only had one square meal since I went away, and that
was yesterday at Estcourt."

"Go, by all means," the captain laughed. "I breakfasted half an hour
before you came in, and forgot that it was possible that you had not
done so." It was a full half-hour before Chris returned, and when he did
so he left Sankey still telling the story of their adventures, which had
made very little progress, as he had declared that he could not enjoy
his breakfast if he was obliged to keep on talking all the time. When
Chris, on his part, had told the story to Captain Brookfield, the latter
said:

"I can't say that I am altogether surprised to see you back, though I
certainly did not expect you for a long time, for I felt sure that if
you and Sankey were not seriously wounded you would manage to give them
the slip before you got to Pretoria; and I thought we should hear the
first news of you at Durban, for it would be shorter and easier for you
to make your way down again to Lorenzo Marques than to follow this
line."

"We should certainly have gone that way if we had not escaped until we
were near Pretoria, but it was a great deal easier to slip away from the
waggons than it would have been if we had been once put into the train.
I hope, sir, we have not been returned as missing, for it will have
frightened our mothers terribly if we have been."

"No; I thought that there was no occasion to give your names until you
had been away for a month. If you were not heard of by that time, I
should consider it certain that you were dead or at Pretoria. I knew
that, as you say, it would be a terrible shock to your mothers if they
were to see your names among the missing; while it could do no harm to
anyone if I kept it back for a month, and put you down as missing the
first time after the corps were engaged. Well, you are just back in time
for a big fight, though we are not likely to take any part in it. It is
supposed to be a secret as to the precise position, but orders have been
privately circulated this morning. Dundonald with the regular cavalry,
the Natal Horse, and the South African Light Horse went on four days
ago, with one or two other colonial corps, and occupied Springfield, and
the baggage train followed them; and after occupying the place, instead
of waiting for infantry to come up, he moved on to a river. Some of his
men, with extraordinary pluck, swam across and managed to bring the
ferry-boat over under a very heavy fire. Then a number of them crossed,
scattered the Boers like chaff, and took possession of a rough hill
called Swartz Kop, and held it till support came up. It was a capitally
managed affair, and one cannot but regret that the same care was not
shown at Hlangwane. We are to go on this afternoon, but as we are not in
Dundonald's brigade I expect that our duty will be, as it was in the
last fight, to guard the baggage."

"The general opinion is, that they will push round to Acton Homes. I am
not sure that the whole force is not going that way. It would be a grand
thing if it could be done; but I doubt whether the train could carry
enough stores, for it would be a long way round, and we should probably
have to fight two or three times at least, and it might take us five or
six days."

"Yes, Hart's and Hildyard's brigades have marched straight from Frere.
By the way, did you hear of the Boer attack on Ladysmith on the night of
the 6th?"

"No; that was the night we were at Glencoe. On our way up we did hear
some very heavy firing. At least, we were not certain that it was
firing, and rather thought it was a distant thunder-storm."

"The firing began at two o'clock in the morning," Captain Brookfield
said, "and was so heavy that everyone turned out. It lasted four hours,
and there was no doubt that the Boers were making a determined attack.
Everyone wondered that we did not at once make a diversion. When the day
broke it could be seen that numbers of mounted Boers were hurrying off
from their camps among the hills towards Ladysmith, but it was not until
two in the afternoon that five battalions of infantry marched down
towards Colenso, and the naval guns opened in earnest on their lines. It
had the effect of bringing the Boers scurrying down again to their
trenches. Our fellows marched in open order and worked their way nearly
down to Colenso, which was more strongly garrisoned than it had been at
the time of our last attack. No doubt they had seen us preparing to
advance, and strongly reinforced the garrison. Our guns were taken a
long way down, and at six o'clock their trenches were bombarded; then it
came on to rain, and the Boers ceased to fire, and at seven o'clock our
men turned into camp. The firing in Ladysmith had ceased some time
before that."

"And what had taken place there?" Chris asked anxiously, "for I know the
place has not fallen or we should have heard of it."

"No, they beat the Boers off splendidly. However, they had hard work to
do it, for the heliograph flashed a signal at about nine o'clock in the
morning to say that they had so far beaten off the enemy, but were much
pressed. We heard the next day that this had indeed been the case.
Caesar's Camp had been taken and retaken several times--by our men at
the point of the bayonet, by the Boers, by rushing up in overwhelming
numbers. It is said that we have twelve hundred casualties, and the
Boers at least fifteen hundred, of whom a large number were bayoneted.
They say the loss fell chiefly upon the Free Staters, who were put in
the front by the Transvaal people. They fought pluckily, and several of
their commanders were among the killed. I should think that they would
hardly try it again. A native got through two days afterwards with a
despatch. We have not heard what it contained, but we fancy from what
has leaked out that our defences were very weak."

"We ought to take a lesson from the Boers," Chris said. "I saw something
of their trenches as we went up the railway valley, and they are
wonderful."

"Yes, we must do the Boers the justice to say that they are not afraid
of hard work. Ever since they first came here they have been at work
everywhere every day in the week, including Sundays. Of course, as we
are not standing on the defensive, there is no occasion for us to
construct works to the same extent; but I cannot myself understand why
we do not throw up batteries for our guns, pushing forward zigzags every
night, and advancing the batteries until we can plant all our naval and
field guns within a hundred yards of Colenso, when we should be able to
smash their entrenchments in no time, and effectually cover an advance
across the bridge or one of the drifts. When I was in the army it was
always said that the next war would be fought with the spade as much as
with the rifle, but so far we have seen nothing whatever of the spade,
except just by the guns. We were also taught that strong positions held
by steady troops armed with magazine guns and supported by good
artillery were absolutely impregnable against direct attack. I grant
that Dundee and Elandslaagte, and Belmont and Enslin on the other side,
seemed to contradict that idea, but our experience here is all the other
way; and if we keep on knocking our heads against those hills I suppose
the axiom is likely to be finally confirmed."

"Then you don't think that we are going to fight our way into Ladysmith,
Captain Brookfield?"

"Not direct into Ladysmith. Possibly we may work our way round; but
after what we saw of the fire from their position, trench above trench,
and miles upon miles in length, my own conviction is, that allowing to
the utmost for the gallantry and devotion of our men, we shall never win
our way across those hills."

"Yes, fresh batches of waggons are going on, and we are to escort them,
and if we reach Springfield by to-morrow night we may think ourselves
lucky, for some of the officers who went with the first lot have come
back, and say that the roads are simply awful--there are dongas to be
passed where the waggons sink up to their axles--and that at one point
ninety oxen were fastened to a single waggon and could not pull it out
from a hole in which it was sunk, and there it would be now if one of
the Woolwich traction engines hadn't got hold of it and drawn it out.
They are doing splendid work, and if the War Office authorities can but
take a lesson to heart, the next war we go into we shall have five
hundred of them and not a single transport animal. They would cost
money, no doubt, but they would eat nothing and drink nothing; they
would only require to be oiled and cleaned occasionally to keep them in
order, and when they were wanted they would do the work without our
having to hunt the world over for transport animals. They would save
their cost in one war; there would be a thousand drivers and stokers
instead of twenty thousand camp followers; it would not matter whether
the country was burnt up dry or deep in grass, they would drag their
fuel with them; and would save the artillery horses by dragging the guns
till they were in the neighbourhood of an enemy. It might not look so
pretty or picturesque as the present system, but it would be enormously
more useful, and in the long run vastly more economical. I should like
to see Kitchener put at the War Office with authority to sweep it out;
Hercules in the Augean stable would be nothing to it."

Chris laughed at the earnestness and vehemence with which the commander
spoke.

He went on. "I am an old army man, and have been as staunch a believer
in army traditions as any man, but I tell you fairly that I am disgusted
at the amount of routine work, delay, and, if I may use the word,
priggism, that I see going on. I am not surprised that the Colonials to
a man are convinced that they would manage matters infinitely better if
they were left to themselves. They would harass the Boers night and day,
sweep their plundering parties out of the land, make a circuit no matter
how far into Zululand, and come down behind and cut the line of railway,
and blow up the bridges, and worry them out of the colony. I don't say
they would succeed, but I am sure they would try, and I believe firmly
that five thousand mounted Colonials fighting in their own way would
relieve Ladysmith and clear Natal sooner than we with thirty thousand
shall do. I am not saying that they would succeed in a Continental war,
though they would certainly harass and bother any regular force four
times their own strength. To succeed they would require guns and a
greater degree of discipline than they have got, but such a force would
be absolutely invaluable as an assistant to a regular army. Don't repeat
what I say, Chris; there is a good deal of soreness of feeling on both
sides already, and I don't want any utterance of mine to add to it.
Still, I can assure you it has been a relief to me to let the steam
off."

At the appointed hour the Maritzburg Scouts and another Colonial corps
started with a train of two hundred waggons, and with immense exertion
made eight miles before it became dark. The men were more often on foot
than in their saddles, sometimes roping their horses to the sides of the
waggons to aid the oxen, sometimes putting their shoulders to the
wheels, or working with a score of others with railway sleepers that had
been brought for the purpose, to lever the axles out of deep holes into
which the wheels had sunk.

"I don't think I ever knew what it was to be really dirty before," Field
said, as they finally dismounted and prepared to camp. "I thought I did
know something about mud, but I can see that I did not. I feel that I am
a sort of animated pie, and could be cooked comfortably in an oven. If
we could but get a big fire and stand round it, our crust might peel
off; and I really don't see any other way. There is one advantage in it,
and that is that we shall be able to skirmish, if necessary, across
either a sandy or muddy country, without the possibility of our being
made out more than fifty yards away by the keenest-sighted Boer. What do
you propose, Captain Chris? If there were running water near, the course
would be clear. We would lie down by turns, and be rolled over and over,
and thumped with stones, and rubbed with anything that came handy till
we were in a state of comparative cleanliness."

"Why running water?" Chris asked. "Why not a pond?" "A pond!" Field
said, contemptuously. "Why, sir, before our section alone was washed,
the water of anything short of a lake would be solid."

"Well, Field, you do us almost as much good as a wash," Peters said.
"Anyhow, we are better off than the others. We have got our tents and
our spirit-lamp, and can have our tea with some degree of comfort, which
is more than the others will be able to do. Now, as we have not running
water, I think we might as well scrape as much of this mud off as we
can."

"I would almost rather remain as we are," Field said. "Hitherto I have
felt rather proud of our appearance. As we only got our uniforms when we
came up here, and have always had our tents to sleep in, we looked a
great deal cleaner than the average. Now we shall be conspicuous for our
dirtiness."

"In spite of what Field says, I will adopt your suggestion, Peters. We
had better help the Kaffirs to get up our tents first," Chris said,
"then we can do the scraping while they are getting our supper ready. It
is very lucky that we had the water-skins filled before starting. We
should hardly taste the tea if it had been made from water from any of
these spruits."

The tents were erected, and then jack-knives were taken out; and giving
mutual aid to each other, they succeeded in removing at least the main
portion of the mud. That done, they sat down to supper. Fortunately, the
rain that had come down steadily the greater portion of the day had now
ceased, and with a tin of cocoa and milk, and some fried ham and
biscuits, they made an excellent meal. Their less fortunate comrades
brought their kettles, which were boiled for them one after another,
until all who had waited up in hopes of their turn coming had been
served. As they carried tea and their ration bread, they were able to
make a fairly comfortable meal, instead of going supperless to bed,
which they would otherwise have done, as few would have cared after
their hard work to go out into the veldt to gather soaked sticks, which
they would hardly have been able to light had they found them. A small
ration of spirits and water was given to each of the five natives, and
then the lads crept into their tents feeling that after all, things
might have been much worse.